Back to the Start
by hibiscus72
Summary: From the day Riley Matthews and Lucas Friar ended things after 7 years of being a couple, Riley struggled to find her way. Now, 2 years later she has finally gotten back on track, leaving her past behind her and has made some new friends including a new boyfriend, when her past comes back and isn't quite ready to be forgotten about.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

As 23 year old Riley Matthews walked down the street, in hopes of being on time for her date, she passed by a strangely familiar area in central park. She walked over to the colorful, yet faded artwork of her lifelong friend, Maya Hart. She smiled to herself, as she read the word _Hope_. She had forgotten all about that time in her life when her very best friend was roughly struggling to find her place in their high school friend group.

She began to remember all of her close relationships she had back then; with Farkle, Smackle, and Zay. Riley then started to remember Lucas and immediately snapped herself out of her thoughts. _Don't go there._ She thought to herself. _That ended a long time ago and the past is in the past._ Riley was momentarily interrupted when she saw that she was still standing in the middle of the park looking at the wall of artwork.

Riley realized she had somewhere to be and quickly glanced down at her watch to read the time. She widened her brown eyes,

"Oh crap," she said to herself.

It read 7:28 PM and she had a date at 7:30 with Luke. The thought of her new boyfriend automatically brought a huge grin to her face. They had just started dating about 6 months ago and tonight was their monthly anniversary dinner.

Riley hurried along the street, although it was pretty difficult for her to run considering she was all dressed up. She was wearing a dark burgundy sweetheart-neckline dress that stopped at her knees, along with shimmered gray colored heels. A simple, yet elegant beaded necklace lay softly on her neck, as her curled brunette hair was trailing behind her as she hurried to get to the restaurant on time.

About 8 minutes later, she arrived at the Italian restaurant that she and Luke decided on a couple days prior.

"Hey," Luke said to her and smiled as Riley took her seat at their table.

"Hey" Riley smiled back.

"You look amazing babe", Luke marveled as he got a close look at what Riley wore to their date. "Thanks" Riley smiled back in response.

"You're not too bad yourself" she added, as she and Luke slightly laughed at her witty comment.

The two met just after college at a park. Riley was there for her friend Abby's birthday party, but left early because she wasn't feeling too great after having 3 slices of pizza. To exit the park, there was a flight of long cement stairs like they have at museums and Riley was hurriedly running down them. Along the way, her phone fell out of the pocket of her purse without her noticing, and Luke saw the whole thing happen so he quickly went to retrieve it and then gave it to Riley. It was the classic _Cinderella_ tale and Riley loved it, even though it may have been a tiny bit cliche.

After that incident, Riley took her phone from Luke and thanked him shortly before they exchanged numbers. They were friends for about a year before Luke asked Riley to be his girlfriend and Riley gladly said yes to him. Riley thought of Luke as her absolute prince and dream guy. Remembering all of this, while they were at dinner brought yet another smile to Riley's face.

She looked at him just thinking of how lucky she was. He had light brown hair that was gelled to one side, a perfect smile that always made Riley feel comfortable and safe, and had sparkling ocean blue eyes that reminded her of Maya. Luke was originally from England so he had a cute accent that Riley absolutely adored about him. He was also one of the sweetest, most caring, and also most athletic people she had ever met. He was literally perfect, was all Riley could ever think about him.

Since they had been friends before they started dating, they pretty much knew everything about each other including their jobs and hobbies, so they never ran out of things to talk about.

"How was work?" Riley asked Luke as she drank some of her water from the glass in front of her.

Luke was a personal trainer at a gym he owned, and he loved his job.

"Good. Although it was really busy today, more and more people are starting to join and it gets really hectic at times." he explained.

"How about you? How was work for you today?" Luke asked her. Riley worked at a preschool not far from her parent's old apartment, and still enjoyed working with younger kids. Teaching them and helping to influence their life had always meant so much to her, especially since the preschool ages were still so young. All of the kids she worked with were always so happy, it made her appreciate her job that much more.

After an hour and a half more of talking and eating, Luke and Riley decided to head back to Luke's apartment. Luke had been contemplating on whether or not he was going to ask Riley something today, but since it was their anniversary dinner night, he figured now was as good as a time than any. The couple was curled up on the couch and Riley's head was rested on Luke's chest as his arm was around her in a protective manner. They were both under a blanket and were watching one of Riley's favorite romantic comedies.

"Hey Riley", Luke started with.

"Yeah?"

"We've been together for um a while now, and uh…"

Riley slightly giggled at the sudden nervous tone in his voice.

"What's up babe?" she asked him hardly managing to stifle a giggle.

"Do you want to move in with me?" he barely managed. "I mean you do stay here quite often so, it wouldn't be _that_ much of a change, but if you want, I think we're ready.

Riley placed her hands over her mouth in surprise and nodded her head. She was so happy. After so long of being confused, hurt, and lost, she had finally found herself an amazing boyfriend that she knew cared about her.

Luke grinned and pulled Riley closer to him. He kissed the top of her head as the two continued to watch their movie together. Just being in each other's presence was enough, and neither of them would choose to be anywhere else.


	2. Chapter 1: Author's Note

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I forgot to put this info in chapter one, so I decided to just add another chapter of it. Anyways, Lucas, Maya and other GMW characters will definitely be included, just later in the story. The next chapter will probably be an encounter with Lucas along with a flashback of their breakup and what happened. I will probably be updating this story every week at the latest, and maybe earlier depending on how this first one goes. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Feel free to leave a review or personal message me for any feedback or ideas, it would be greatly appreciated :D


	3. Chapter 2

Riley woke up not long before realizing where she was. She chuckled at the sight. Luke was asleep beside her with his arm still wrapped around her back in a comforting manner.

"Aw, he looks so cute right now" Riley gushed, though trying to stay quiet, for Luke's sake.

"Thanks babe".

"You're awake!" she said surprised to hear another voice.

"I am" Luke said, laughing at his girlfriend's oblivious comment.

"I forgot how cute you look in the morning." he noticed, looking at her.

Riley's cheeks turned light pink as she blushed at his compliment.

"Oh uh thanks", she finally managed.

"Hey we should do something today. I mean it is Saturday, and after tomorrow we are both working all day so let's do something fun" Luke declared to Riley.

"That's a good idea. Got anything in mind?"

"Well...Haven't you been wanting to see Me Before You? Plus we can get ice cream and tacos after if you want."

"Really?! ME BEFORE YOU? YAAAAAAAAAY!" Riley had always wanted to see this specific movie mainly because she _loved_ romance movies especially ones that made her cry because of how happy or sad they were. Also she loved watching movies with her boyfriend. She liked feeling safe under his arm while watching movies that made her heart melt.

"Paco's Tacos like old times?", she asked instantly excited for their plans later that day.

"Whatever you like." Luke smiled to her.

Riley adored her boyfriend so much and was so thankful to have him. In ways he reminded her of Maya. Their similar blue eyes, both of their needs to protect her. She knew that she always wanted Luke in her life, just like she knew that Maya would always be there for her.

"I love you Luke Thomas", Riley said to him.

"I love you too Riley Matthews".

Riley kissed her loving and caring boyfriend and it once again felt like they were the only two people in the world.

After about 1 more hour of watching TV on the couch, Riley and Luke decided to get ready. Riley took a shower, brushed her teeth and quickly put on some makeup, before deciding to go make breakfast. When she opened the cabinets she smirked to herself because Luke had almost no groceries and food in his pantry. She grabbed a banana and made a cup of coffee for her and one for Luke, because she knew how much he adored coffee. This along with many other things were one of the similarities between the couple. Riley ate her breakfast on the couch and removed the phone from its' charger in Luke's bedroom, while he was showering.

She browsed through all of her social media; _Facebook, Instagram,_ and _Twitter._ On _Instagram_ she saw that she had a follow request and then read the name. It was from Lucas. Lucas Friar. She gasped, very surprised because he hadn't reached out to her since their breakup which was over 2 years ago. Riley ended up deciding that she was going to deny his follow request because the past was in the past and their relationship was very far over. She scrolled through all of the pictures and smiled when when she saw a picture of Maya on Josh's back and in the background was the eiffel tower. They were both laughing, and looked so happy just to be in each other's presence.

Riley forgot that Maya and Josh went on a trip to Paris as a getaway since they both had a week off of work. She was so happy for her best friend, seeing how Maya had finally got what she had wanted her whole life; to be with Josh. After breaking up with Lucas, Riley had wanted a relationship that would help her and make her happier just like what Maya and Josh had. After meeting Luke, she knew that this was her opportunity and she would finally be getting what she wanted, and she had.

She was soon pulled away from her thoughts when Luke came into the room with a towel wrapped around his shoulders. His hair was messily combed over to one side and his shirt was was wet in some spots.

Riley giggled, "Are you ready to get going?"

"Yup just a couple more minutes. Did you happen to make me any coffee?"

She smiled and then nodded in response while handing him the mug that she made for him.

"Thanks babe, you're the best", Luke insisted as he kissed her and brought the cup into his bedroom so he could finish getting ready.

"How did I get so lucky?", Riley asked herself. She knew how fortunate she was to have such a handsome and caring boyfriend who loved her for who she was and not what he wanted her to be. He didn't care if she was wearing one of his t-shirts and baggy sweatpants, she was still beautiful to him. This relationship was something special, and nothing would be able to ruin it, Riley continued to think about. Luke was finally done about fifteen minutes later.

When they got to the theater, Luke went to go buy the tickets and Riley told him that she would go buy snacks. She bought one large popcorn, a _Coke_ for the two of them to share, and a bag of gummy bears for her and a box of _Reese's Pieces_ for Luke. Riley heard someone approaching her from behind and she quickly turned around.

"What are you doing here, Lucas?"

"I came to see you."

"Why would you do that?"

"Riley, please just listen to me and let me explain." He paused and then spoke again, "I know this explanation won't make much of a difference because it's long overdue but please can you please just let me tell you what happened that night".

Riley saw Luke walking through the door, looking for her. "I'm sorry Lucas, but no. I don't want to talk about it. And I have to go."

With that, she walked away without the snacks, as Lucas sighed. She met up with Luke and he looked confused, considering Riley hadn't told him anything about her past relationships, although she only had one boyfriend before him. Riley watched as Lucas walked out of the theater and crossed the street. A car was coming from the left side of the street and Riley knew what was going to happen. She watched it all happen in slow motion. Lucas stepped forward and the driver must not have seen him. He hit Lucas as he was launched across the street with tons of horns honking and drivers slamming on their breaks to avoid hitting him once again.

"LUCAS!" Riley screamed. She sprinted out of theater and rushed over to him.

"Lucas! Lucas are you ok? Can you hear me?!" she hollered. Riley shoved her hand in her purse, desperate to find her phone and then dialled 911. She gave the person who answered the phone, all of the information on what happened and their current whereabouts so they could take Lucas to the hospital. The driver that had hit him was driving a white Toyota Sequoia, but drove away after the accident. Luke had no idea who the man that was on the ground was and he had no idea how his girlfriend knew this 'Lucas', but he tried to help anyway. He tried to get the license plate of the Toyota, but the driver sped off right before he could finish writing it down. He groaned, exasperated but nonetheless walked over to where Riley was crouched down over Lucas.

"Is he okay?" Luke asked, with his arm around Riley, trying to comfort her.

"I'm not sure." she admitted, as a tear fell down her cheek. Luke wiped it away and wrapped his arms around Riley, as he promised her that everything was going to be okay. She cried into his shoulder excepting his hug. _Why should I even care what happens to him_ she thought to herself. _I thought I didn't care about him. I thought I was never going to forgive him._ Although Riley may have been furious and angry at Lucas, she had always cared for everyone and their well-being. It had been a part of her personality since she was young and that part of her never changed and never will.

Minutes later, two police cars and an ambulance were parked next to the scene. While the ambulance hurried over to Lucas and the police cars redirected traffic to block off a few lanes, Riley held both of her hands over her mouth as she cried watching Lucas being lifted onto the stretcher. Luke embraced his girlfriend as she looked terrified at what was going to happen to him. Although he didn't know why or how, he knew that this man was important to Riley. The thought made him slightly uncomfortable and unsure, but he had to be strong for her. He had to be strong and tell her that everything was going to be okay.

The medic thanked Riley for calling them, and thanked her for helping Lucas. She told the couple that he still had a pulse, and did survive, although he was in critical condition. She promised Riley that she would call them as soon as she figured out what happened to Lucas, along with who was responsible for the whole accident. Riley insisted that she should stay and follow them to the hospital, but the people in the ambulance told her to go home and would be alerted when he either woke up or was starting to heal.

Luke was finally able to convince Riley that it was best for them to go home and rest. The two walked back to their car and once they were en route to Luke's apartment, he asked

"How did you know him? Lucas I mean".

Riley didn't respond, she just stared at the street in front of her, as her old memories came flowing back to her...

 _While 21 year old Riley Matthews sprinted to her soon to be ex-boyfriend's apartment, she brainstormed what she would say to him. Right then and there she was so furious at him and couldn't remember a time where she had ever been this mad. As she approached the door, she pulled the key out of her purse, remembering that he had given it to her so she could come to his apartment whenever she wanted. They had been dating for a while now so he was more than fine with her having it._

 _When Riley walked in she saw her boyfriend sitting on the couch watching baseball highlights and he looked so nonchalant it made Riley even more angry with him._

" _HOW COULD YOU LUCAS?!" she fumed as she slammed the door as loudly as she could._

 _Lucas was so startled he jumped up to his feet as he studied his girlfriend intently._

" _MISSY BRADFORD?", she lectured again._

" _Riles what are you talking about?" he questioned, still confused._

" _Oh you know what I'm talking about Lucas. Don't even bother trying to play dumb because we both know the truth". Riley's voice was now becoming more hurt and scared than it was angry._

 _Lucas' cheeks became red and he was slightly humiliated for getting caught, but he was more regretful than anything. Riley had meant the world to him and he never intended to hurt her, but Missy had started it. NOT him. He himself thought he did nothing wrong considering the fact that he never agreed to do anything with Missy. 24 hours earlier they were all at a party; Riley and Lucas, Smackle and Farkle, Zay and Vanessa, and Maya and Josh. They were all at Missy's house for her birthday party, which already had Riley and Maya suspicious when they got the invites because they knew Missy had never liked either of them._

 _As the night went on Lucas had informed Riley that he was gonna get more drinks for the two of them and she told him,_

" _Ok thanks babe", before going over to see what her other friends were up to._

 _She walked over and saw Maya and Josh making out and knew she didn't want anything to do with them. She then decided to go over to Smackle and Farkle who were sitting side by side on the couch in Missy's living room.. Vanessa and Zay were sitting across from them so Riley sat on the chair beside her four friends._

" _Hey guys" Riley greeted them and smiled. "What are you up to?"_

 _Zay groaned at her question and slightly rolled his eyes, though in a joking matter._

 _Farkle and Smackle are trying to teach us how to memorize pi without confusing your 100th and 102nd number." he responded. Vanessa chuckled at her boyfriend's reaction and then kissed him which took the attitude and annoyance away from Zay._

 _The five friends continued to talk about their last weeks of school and their future when Riley started to get curious. Lucas had left to get drinks, now twenty minutes ago. Josh soon walked up to them and greeted everyone._

" _Hey Uncle Josh", Riley said to him sweetly._

" _Hey niece" he laughed back._

" _Do you guys know where Lucas went?" she asked._

" _Oh uh I saw Missy dragging him upstairs for some reason. That's actually kinda why I came over here." Josh replied to her, anticipating what her reaction would be._

 _Riley decided not to make any assumptions and that she should go see for herself what was going on. She walked up the stairs to Missy's house and opened the first door in front of her, to her left. She gasped when she saw Missy hovering over Lucas while she was kissing him. Lucas was completely unaware of Riley's presence as she stormed off back down the stairs and out of the house._

 _By the time she got back to her's and Maya's apartment there were tears streaming down her face and makeup blotched all over her skin. Riley was so hurt and confused. She didn't even know what to do now. Lucas had cheated on her. End of story. She pulled out her phone to text Maya but then decided not to bother her and Josh. Riley was contemplating on what to do and in the end she decided to sleep on it and she was going to go to Lucas' apartment to confront him tomorrow._

 _After barging into his apartment and asking why the heck he was trying to play dumb, Lucas just stood there feeling nothing but regret._

" _LUCAS ANSWER ME!" Riley screamed at him. Still, he just stood there knowing she wouldn't believe anything he could say to her._

" _We are so done." was all she said before storming out of his apartment. Lucas instantly ran after her to try to get her to listen. He didn't know how to explain what had happened but he didn't want to just stand there without trying._

" _Riley please just let me explain! I never meant to hurt you!" he pleaded._

 _He could see the hurt and hatred in her eyes and had no idea what she was going to say to him. "Well great job because that's exactly what you did". Riley mumbled in response, now with pure hurt in her voice._

After that, Riley moved to California for a year and then decided that she missed her family, so she moved back to New York. Riley had no idea where Lucas was by that time and she didn't care. She knew that he never loved her as much as she thought he did and all of the long important talks that they had apparently meant nothing to him. Lucas Friar was a jerk, and Riley knew that she would and could never forgive him. She had never been more mad at anyone in her entire life, and even after knowing Lucas for more than 10 years, she was glad their relationship was over.

After explaining the whole story to Luke, he looked just about furious with her.

"Why didn't you tell me any of this?" he questioned, although more calmly than Riley expected.

"Because I was angry! Because I didn't care about him! I met you and I instantly knew that I loved you, Luke! I didn't care about my past anymore and I didn't think I would ever see Lucas again. I didn't think he was important", she sobbed to him. Luke felt bad for her, and wanted to hold her face in his hands and tell her that everything was fine, and that he wasn't mad at her. But he couldn't do it. The problem was that he _was_ mad at her. In their whole relationship, Luke told Riley the truth about everything and he thought she was telling the truth too. It made him mad that she had kept such an important part of her life a secret to him.

"How long were you guys dating?" he questioned.

"Luke, please don't do this", Riley begged, pleadingly. "I told you, that relationship wasn't important and it's in the past".

"Riley, please just be honest. How long were you two dating?"

"7 years."

They were now pulling into the garage and Luke slammed on the brake. "SEVEN YEARS?" he fumed.

Luke turned off the car and stormed into the house, leaving Riley there speechless.

She had really messed up this time, and she didn't know if she could fix this…

 **Author Replies:**

 _Na - Is it a Rucas story?_ : Sort of. I did originally write this to be a Rucas story, but now that I've developed the plot a bit more, I haven't decided. I know, I know that's not exactly what some people would call 'a good author', so I'm sorry for not knowing yet. I just want you guys to be happy and enjoy this story, so I'm going to wait for a few more reviews before deciding. Thank you so much for your feedback!

 _Guest - I like it! And I like Luke, but I'm really hoping Riley finds her way back to Lucas._ : Aw thank you so much! This is my first story, so I'm really glad you like it :) And yes, I've tried to help develop Luke's character in a positive way so people aren't mad at me for having her not be with Lucas right now. I also am a fan of Rucas, so I do wish for a happy ending between the two, but if you have any ideas, for the future chapters please let me know. Thank you for reviewing!

 _Guest - I love this story! It's funny how Riley's new boyfriend's name is Luke! Anyway, keep up the good work!_ : Thank you! And haha I honestly didn't even notice that until now (LOL). I just wanted to come up with a guy name that sounded relatively modern and current. Again, thank you so much!

 _Guest - Great start! Please update soon_ : Oh thank you! And well I plan to update probably twice or three times a week. If not, I will at least update once a week, I can promise you that :D

 **Thank you everyone for reviewing and reading! Yes, I will be replying to your guys' reviews, not to copy other people, I just want to reach out to those who do the same for me. Although if you do leave a review, this is not mandatory but I do recommend putting your name or something like 'iloveturtles' just so that it is easier for you to find your author reply. Also, if there are similar reviews (this chapter had a bunch), then I will probably try to answer them all with only one response. Anyways thanks again, see you in the next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N I'm sorry for the slight delay in uploading, I was really busy this week because I had a tournament for soccer and family reunion. Aside from that, thank you guys so much for reading and continuing to follow-up with this story! Enjoy :)**

When she woke up, Riley immediately groaned. She looked around her room, only to see that it was already 10:00 AM. Riley was extremely hungry since she didn't have dinner last night so she pulled her purple polka dot patterned comforter off as she stretched, not managing to keep in a huge yawn. She was wearing her t-shirt from yesterday and a pair of yellow pajama shorts.

Once in the kitchen, Riley made herself a cup of coffee and took out her _Cheerios,_ milk, a bowl, and a spoon from the cupboard. The sequence of events began to fill Riley's thoughts as she remembered Luke storming into his apartment after hearing about her history with Lucas. After that, Riley had decided to give him time to think about everything she told him, so she drove back to her apartment and then went straight to bed. The sound of coffee being brewed began to fill Riley's kitchen, when she heard the doorbell ring.

"Coming!", she shouted.

When Riley opened the door, she didn't see who she expected to.

"Luke, hey."

"Hey. Um can we talk? I kind of wanted to apologize for reacting the way I did yesterday. I understand why you didn't tell me and I respect your reasons. I'm sorry for just running off like that."

Riley just smiled at her boyfriend. She really was lucky. "Luke don't be sorry. I should have never kept that a secret from you, especially because it wasn't something that was worth fighting about. I am the one who should be apologizing."

"So….We're good?" he asked.

"We're good", she smiled in response.

 _Bzzz…...bzzzzz…._ Riley heard her phone ringing on the counter and rushed over to answer it.

"Yes, speaking" she said to the person on the phone.

"Okay thank you so much Doctor Smith. Yes, I will head over now."

"No problem, thank you again…..Okay ba-bye".

"Who was that?", Luke asked confused.

"The doctor that was taking care of Lucas. She said he woke up."

"Oh ok, do you want me to drive you?"

"I think I'll be okay. How about you stay here and rest and when I come back we can go back to the movies and continue our date?"

"Sure", he replied.

"Okay great. I'll be at your place by 3:00 if that works."

"Yup, that's perfect".

"Ok see you later", Riley said as she kissed him and he left her apartment.

Once Luke left, Riley left right away for the hospital. Her apartment was 30 miles away from the hospital Lucas was at, but because there was so much traffic that morning, it ended up taking her 45 minutes to get there. When she walked into the building, she was greeted by the receptionist at the front desk.

"Hi my name is Jessica, how may I help you today?", she asked giddily.

"Hi. I'm here to see Lucas. Lucas Friar."

"Oh I'm headed that way now," a new voice from behind said to Riley. "I can take her up, Jessica", she then said to the receptionist.

"Ok great", Jessica then smiled to the both of us.

The woman then gestured for Riley to follow her, and she trailed behind her as she led the both of them to the elevator.

Once in the elevator, the woman introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Clarissa. Lucas' fiancée".

Riley widened her eyes. "Oh. Uh fiancée?".

Clarissa laughed lightly. "Yes. We got engaged 2 weeks ago."

Riley studied the woman in front of her. She was absolutely stunning. Although, strangely she looked really familiar. Clarissa had long blonde hair and was a little shorter than Riley was. She had blueish gray eyes that made her think of the ocean. Clarissa looked just like her best friend, Maya Hart.

After a few more seconds of awkward silence, Clarissa asked, "I'm sorry but I didn't quite catch your name."

"Oh right of course! I'm sorry, my name is Riley. Riley Matthews."

"It's nice to meet you Riley. Lucas speaks very highly of you." she grinned sweetly.

Riley was slightly surprised by her comment, "Um. He does?"

"Yes of course. You two did date for a while".

After what felt like forever to Riley, they finally reached the floor to Lucas' room.

"Here his room is just down this hall", she led her.

Once they reached the room Lucas was in, Riley's eyes started to water. There were scratches on his face with dried up blood. He had some bruises and looked so lifeless laying on the bed, asleep.

"Will he be okay?", Riley asked Clarissa in a very concerned tone. She really was scared for him. Although the ex couple hadn't spoken in almost years, she was genuinely worried.

"Yes, the doctor said he will be okay, but it may take him a little while to recover. They took him into surgery late last night and they said it went really well. Hopefully he will wake up soon so you can say hi and catch up", Clarissa said trying to sound positive but barely managing to hold back her tears that threatened to slip down her face.

Riley noticed how worried Clarissa was, and walked over to her. She put an arm around her shoulder and reassured her everything was going to be okay.

"I know we don't know each other very well, but I want you to know that I'm here for you. As a friend", Riley said kindly and smiled.

"Thank you Riley. That really means alot".

"No problem. Just glad I could be useful", she responded giggling.

Seconds later, Lucas began to stir in his sleep, and for a moment I thought he was going to wake up. But then he just shifted and his eyes stayed shut.

"How about I go get us some coffee and you can stay with Lucas for a little while?", Clarissa suggested.

"Yes sure, of course."

And with that, Clarissa left the room leaving the ex couple alone. Riley began to speak aloud.

"Hey Lucas. Uh it's me um Riley. I'm sorry for not letting you explain. I'm sorry for walking out on you all those years ago without accepting an explanation. I really hope you're alright. I know you probably can't hear me right now but I want you to know that I'll stay strong for you. You can do this. I know you're going to be okay and you have to fight. Fight for Clarissa."

"Riley?" a voice asked weakly.

"Lucas!"

"Riley what are you doing here?" he demanded, though also confused.

"I just wanted to you know, make sure you're okay. But how are you feeling?"

"Well I feel like I just got hit by a car. Other than that, I feel great", he responded chuckling.

"Haha very funny", she said rolling here eyes jokingly. "I'm going to go so you can get some rest."

"No it's fine, stay. I want to talk to you for a little while."

"Lucas are you sure that's a good idea? I mean I don't know if you fiancée would approve." Riley lectured him sternly.

His cheeks brightened slightly from her comment.

"How did you even find out about Clarissa?"

"I met her on the elevator when I was going up to your room. She looks just like Maya."

"Well kind of. I mean if you actually get to know her, she is the complete opposite of Maya. In fact if anything, she reminds me of you." Lucas admitted.

Riley blushed.

"I should really go. But get some rest."

"Riley wait! I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. But if you are going to leave then can I at least tell you something?"

"Lucas I already told you, the past is in the past and I don't want to hear it. I'm not even mad at you anymore."

"Ok well I still want you to know the truth."

"Alright fine."

"Ok so the only reason that happened at the party was because first Missy dragged me up the stairs because she said she had to tell me something. I told her that I wouldn't believe anything she said no matter what it was. And then she told me that you were breaking up with me." His voice began to spin slightly hurt at this memory.

"Lucas why wouldn't you just come to me?! We could've talked about this!"

"Riley I was scared! I believed it because we had been together for so long! The thought of you getting sick of me and wanting to be with someone else was more than believable! As long as you were happy, that was what mattered."

Riley reached over and took his hand in her's. She really did feel bad for him. He was hurt and scared of their future and that was something she knew too well.

Lucas' eyes started to tear up as he continued explaining. "I never agreed to do anything with Missy but the next thing I knew she dragged me into her room and shoved me on the bed. Riley I'm sorry. I know it was wrong and I never should've done that. It was totally my fault and I take full responsibility. I know this explanation won't change anything but I just wanted you to know I never ever meant to hurt you and I would never do that on purpose. I don't expect you to forgive me for it now, but I'm sorry."

Riley squeezed his hand and took his face in her hands. He turned his head to force him to look at her.

"Hey, look at me", she said to him. "I forgive you".

Lucas took his hand from Riley's grasp and replied sadly, "No Riley. I don't deserve that. I don't deserve you. And I certainly don't deserve your forgiveness."

"Lucas please it's okay. I just want you to be okay and I know how scary your future can be. I know how hard it can be." Riley glanced down at her phone and saw the time. It was already 1:55 and she had to meet Luke at 2. She had totally forgotten about their plans.

"Oh my gosh. I'm sorry Lucas, I have to go."

"No it's fine, go."

"Bye Lucas."

"Bye Riley."

As she walked over to the chair and grabbed her purse, he stopped her once more. "Hey Riley?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for coming to see me", he said smiling at his ex girlfriend.

She smiled back, "Anything for a friend."

As she rushed to the elevator, Riley frowned. She knew how upset Luke was going to be. She was confused now. However mad at Lucas Riley had been for the past two years, he was her first boyfriend. She didn't know if she really ever had gotten over him. No (italicize no). She couldn't be falling for him. He had a fiancée. They were getting married soon. She had a boyfriend who she just agreed to move in with. Riley Matthews and Lucas Friar were no longer a couple, and she had to accept that.

Little did she know that Lucas was feeling the same way. He didn't understand his feelings. He didn't know how he felt about Riley, or if he still had feelings for her. After minutes of recapping their conversation, Clarissa walked in as if on cue.

"Hey honey, how are you feeling?" she asked, trying not to bring up the fact that her fiancée might be in love with someone else. She only knew this because she had been listening. After she got the coffee for her and Riley, she went back up to Lucas' room. She heard the two talking and knew that she shouldn't intrude. Her curiosity got the best of her and she heard most of their conversation. Clarissa had never been unsure about their relationship until now, and she didn't know what to do.

"Yeah I'm feeling a little bit better, but I think I'm just going to try and sleep some more, if that's ok."

"Yeah sure of course. I'm going to head down to the cafeteria and get something to eat. But I'll be back in like 15 minutes if you need anything."

"Ok thanks babe." he said before shutting his eyes to go back to sleep.

 **Author Replies:**

 _Guest - This looks like a pretty decent read. There are some parts in this chapter that confused me because it needs some clarification but other than that, pretty decent._ : Thank you for reviewing. I'm sorry about that, as I said before I am not a perfect writer and this is my first story, so I apologize for the mistakes and confusion. Thank you for pointing that out though, I appreciate it. If you would like some clarification then I would be more than happy to help. You can personal message me or ask questions in a review.

 _Grace - Wow! This is good. I'm enjoying it so far. Can't wait to find out what happens next!_ : Oh my goodness thank you thank you thank you so much! That's so nice and thoughtful of you to say :-) I hope you enjoy the next chapter and thank you for continuing to read and follow up with this story, it means so much to me!

 _Guest - YAY! Another chapter!I can't believe this is your first story! It's really good. I hope Lucas is alright!I wonder what is going to happen next!_ : Aw, thank you so so so so much! You all are so thoughtful and kind and I cannot explain how much that means to me. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you for continuing to follow up with this story :)

 **Everyone, thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I will gladly accept any suggestions or ideas for future events in this story. Again, this is my very first story, so I would greatly appreciate it if you guys were a little patient with me with mistakes and errors. I am starting school very soon, so I may not have as much time to post chapters and it probably won't be as often as I post now and for that I apologize. Thank you again, until the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! So I kind of just noticed that I messed up the times in Chapter 3. In the hospital scene I meant to say that it was 2:55 and Riley had to meet Luke at 3. I'm really sorry if that confused anybody, but yes that was a mistake. Anyways, I apologize that this chapter is a lot shorter, I'm kind of having trouble brainstorming ideas for this story. If anyone has any, please please feel free to let me know. Enjoy chapter 4!**

Luke glanced at his phone and saw the time. He groaned. Riley was supposed to meet him 45 minutes ago, and she still wasn't here. He was currently sitting on the couch in his apartment, watching _Sports Center._ Luke couldn't help the feeling of jealousy coursing throughout his body. His girlfriend was late to their date only because she was talking to her ex-boyfriend, who she didn't even tell him about. He began to worry about their relationship. Luke knew how much Riley cared about other people, it was one of the things he liked most about her. But did she still love Lucas? Why wouldn't she want him along when she went to the hospital? Luke couldn't help these thoughts that were going through his head, and he didn't want to risk messing up his relationship, if there was nothing going on between Riley and Lucas.

In the end, he just decided that they should have a conversation. The only problem was that Riley wasn't even here. The longer he waited for her, the angrier he got. Minutes later, his doorbell rang and he stood up from his spot on the couch to answer the door. When he opened it, Riley saw the look of irritation on her boyfriend's face.

"Look I know I'm late, and I'm really sorry. It's just that Lucas woke up and I wanted to stay and make sure he was okay." she explained.

"Yeah Riley, I get that but it's 4:15! You were supposed to meet me an hour and fifteen minutes ago."

"Look, Luke I'm sorry. I really am."

"Can I ask you a question, Riley? Because at first this seemed unnecessary given the circumstances but now I'm not so sure." he muttered.

"Um yeah what is it?" Riley replied, eager to end the current fight with her boyfriend.

"Do you still love Lucas?" he blurted.

"What? Luke what are you talking about." she questioned.

Luke raised his eyebrows at her, "It''s a fair question Riley."

"I-", she couldn't finish her sentence. She didn't want to like Lucas. Mainly because A, she was in a relationship with a boyfriend she was going to move in with, and B, because Lucas was engaged. She couldn't ruin her relationship with Luke to chase after something that might not work out. What if Lucas didn't even like her anymore. They both agreed that their relationship was over, and maybe it was time for her to start believing it again. But she was just so confused and so lost. She didn't want to hurt Luke and she didn't know what to do. Although, she knew someone who could always help her with her problems…

Riley threw the door open and grimaced at the sight in front of her.

"YUCK", she complained.

Her surprised uncle and best friend both turned around.

"Riles!", Maya exclaimed. The two best friends rushed over to each other and hugged. They hadn't seen each other in a while, since her and Josh were also recently engaged. He proposed to her when they were in Paris and she had never been happier for two of her favorite people in the world.

"Hey Uncle Josh", Riley beamed.

"Hey niece", he responded before going to hug her.

"What brings you by Riles?" Maya asked confused, "I mean don't get me wrong I'm super happy to see you but is something wrong. How are things between you and Luke?"

"Welllll….." Riley had no idea how to tell them so she just blurted everything out at once. "Lucas randomly showed up at our movie date and said he wanted to talk to me, and I said no, but then he got in a terrible accident and I was freaking out. I thought I was going to lose him, but then I was confused because I didn't think I cared about him anymore but then I figured out he had a fiance. And now for some reason I am a tiny bit jealous when I know I shouldn't be because I am in a relationship and I agreed to move in with Luke and now I just don't know what to do!" she finished.

She then turned toward her best friend, "Peaches please help me! I have no idea what to do with Lucas and then Luke asked me if I still loved him and I just couldn't answer. I left him standing there, without answering his question. He's probably furious at me!" she cried into Maya's shoulder while Josh tried to comfort his niece.

Maya pulled away from their embrace and turned Riley's head to look at her.

"Riles everything is going to be okay, I promise." she whispered to her in a comforting manner.

"Yeah, don't worry we'll help you with this. You're not alone." Josh said to his niece and then smiled.

"Thanks so much guys you're the best" she replied, hugging the newly engaged couple. "So, can we like get coffee because I am really exhausted from crying so much."

Her best friend nodded and then laughed, "Yeah sure you little weirdo, there's a super cute cafe about a block away from here."

"Oh okay great", Riley responded grabbing her purse and exiting the apartment. Maya and Josh followed behind her.

Once they had all ordered, they found a booth in the corner of the cafe. Riley sat on one side while her uncle and best friend sat across from her. Maya started the conversation, mainly because she was anxious to know what happened with her best friend.

"So, Riles what's up?"

Riley let out a long breath and started to re-explain her current situation. "Ok so a couple days ago, Luke and I were at his apartment and he asked me to move in with him. Of course, I said yes I mean he's perfect. He's handsome, kind, caring, and has one of the cutest accents I've ever heard. Maya I mean I thought he was the one. After all, he is my dream come true when it comes to guys. Then, the next day we decided to go on a date and we went to the movies and we were gonna get tacos after. Right after I ordered us snacks, I heard someone coming up behind me and then turned around to see Lucas behind me. He asked to talk to me and I refused, but then sort of felt bad. When I watched him exit the theater he was walking across the street when a car came from the side and hit him." Riley started tearing up, just from the memory. "Maya he flew across the street and all of the cars had to slam on their brakes just to avoid hitting him again". She paused once more and then continued, "I thought he was dead. I thought he was actually gone and the thought made my stomach spin. I don't understand why I even cared about what happened to him considering the fact that I told you guys I would never forgive him. Then, when I went to visit him in the hospital we talked and I confronted him about his fiancée. She looked just like you, so I sort of assumed that he wasn't over you from what happened in high school. When I told him that, he said that Clarissa reminded him of me."

Riley looked over at her Josh and Maya and was trying to read their expressions. Although, they were both staying neutral, so she couldn't tell what they thought about her story. Riley couldn't help thinking that if Lucas was engaged to someone with the same personality as her, does that mean that Lucas hadn't gotten over Riley.

"Okay well Riles what do you need us to do?" Maya asked her friend.

"Yeah, Riley what can we do?" her uncle then offered.

"I don't know. I guess I kind of just want your guys' opinion. I mean why would I mess up my relationship now, and then chase after something else that is far from realistic? It just makes no sense for me to do."

"Riley do you still love him?" Josh questioned.

"I-I don't know."

Maya furrowed her eyebrows together, "Riles come on. Be honest. Do you still have feelings for Lucas?"

"Yes. I think I do. I have never doubted my feelings for Luke, especially because of what happened with Lucas but then when I went to see him in the hospital he said that he was scared of us breaking up. Missy told him that I was breaking up with him. I know he should've come to me, but he was scared of the future. I understand why he did what he did and I forgave him. I have never doubted what I felt for Luke until Lucas came, and now all of my feelings from the past are coming back to me and I have absolutely no idea what to do."

When Lucas woke up, he looked at the clock in his hospital room. It read 5:12, so he had been sleeping for about two hours. Once his memory came flowing back he started to think of the conversation he had with Riley. He couldn't help his old feelings, and now he didn't know what he wanted. He knew it was wrong that he had these thoughts. _I'm engaged. I'm getting married to Clarissa and we're going to spend the rest of our lives together._ Not to long ago, the thought of this made him happy and all warm and fuzzy inside. Now, it made him doubt his actions. He couldn't help wonder if he was marrying the wrong girl. Although Clarissa was practically Riley in a different body, she still wasn't Riley. Riley was the girl he had always saw himself with. Riley was the girl that would keep Lucas up at night not too many years ago. Riley was the girl that Lucas had loved for half of his life and he wasn't sure if he could give up on them. They had always talked about how Riley and Lucas were forever, so now what had changed? Why give up on something they both had once wanted? Was the timing perfect? Absolutely not. Lucas was engaged, about to get married and Riley was in a serious relationship and had moved on from him. Love is worth it though. He knew that in the long run, if he made this work then it would definitely be worth it. He had no idea how in the world he was going to tell Clarissa though. That was something Lucas definitely did not look forward to doing…

 **Author Replies:**

 _Guest -_ _Noooo! Lucas can't be engaged! I am really hoping Riley and Lucas eventually get back together, especially since the title of the story is Back to the Start. I don't really know why Luke got so mad at Riley last chapter. Riley doesn't have to tell him everything all the time._ : I know, I know! I'm sorry for that. But don't worry, I have every intention of Rucas pulling through in the end! Luke is a good boyfriend, but sometimes he gets jealous ;) Thank you for reviewing and I hope you continue to enjoy this story!

 _Guest - I love this! I love the mentions of Joshaya._ : Thank you, that means so much! I absolutely loved Girl Meets World, so I do try to include all of the couples that were in the show :)

 **Hey guys, thank you so much for reading! I love love loveeee reading your reviews, it means so much! Again, I am so sorry that this chapter is so short, I'm having trouble writing down my ideas. For the ending, I know exactly what I want it to be, I just don't always know what events to do in between. As always I would gladly accept any suggestions or ideas and thanks again for reading!**


	6. Chapter 5

"Riles I think you just answered your own question. If you still have feelings for Lucas then go for it", Maya said, as she tried to help her best friend understand.

"Peaches he's engaged! I can't ruin his relationship! Besides the fact that if he doesn't like me, then there's no point in my ending my relationship with Luke."

Josh then decided to speak up, "Well you have to choose Riley. Do you want to be with Lucas or Luke?"

"I don't know. I mean I love Luke. I really do. But still, he's just not Lucas and I don't know why I still even like Lucas."

"Well you two are Riley and Lucas", Maya laughed. "You guys were meant to be."

"Okay well I think I know what I have to do. Thanks guys, you're the best".

Maya smiled at her fiancee, and then said, "Yeah sure of course. Anytime."

With that, Riley said her goodbyes and then left the cafe.

After her conversation with Maya and Josh, Riley decided to go back home. She considered going to talk to Luke, but after their last encounter she knew he needed some time to calm down. Riley didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but she knew that it was unavoidable. Instead, she went to see Lucas at the hospital.

When she walked into his room, she was surprised to see him alone and awake.

"Hey Lucas."

"Riley," he said to her, surprised by her appearance.

"So uh where's Clarissa?", she asked him confused.

"Oh she went home to shower at the apartment, since she stayed here last night. She'll probably be back in like 30 minutes though."

"Oh cool. Are you feeling better today?", Riley questioned awkwardly.

He responded, "Well, yeah a little bit. I'm still kind of sore, but that's kind of a given considering what happened."

"That's good. I um sort of want to talk to you about something".

"Yeah I do too."

"Ok, well you can go first."

"Riley I can't stop thinking about you. I know it's wrong and I know I shouldn't be saying this but I want to get back together. I want you to give me another chance to fix things." he declared.

Riley smiled to herself, but then it soon faded. "Lucas I know. I think I like you too, but I mean you're engaged and I'm in a relationship. There's absolutely no way for us to be together without someone getting hurt."

"Well how about we-"

"We can't just do that. You're in a great relationship with an amazing person and so am I. I think maybe we should just see where our relationships go, and then if they don't work out then we can see. This is what's best for us right now."

Seconds after, Clarissa walked up to the doorway and heard the two talking. She decided to just wait outside and see what they were talking about.  
"Don't you see Riley? I can't! I'll never be able to fully be with Clarissa because I'm still in love with you! Those feelings have never gone away and they never will. That's one thing I know for sure." Lucas blurted out to his ex-girlfriend. Clarissa couldn't take it anymore. She stormed into the room with tears streaming down her face. Lucas looked at her and immediately felt his heart drop. He didn't mean to hurt Clarissa, and what he had just said did exactly that.

Clarissa yanked her engagement ring off of her finger and threw it at Lucas, "How could you?!" she screamed at him. After Clarissa stormed off, Lucas felt awful. He had no idea why he said any of what he did, and Riley had watched the whole thing.

"Lucas why did you say that?" Riley asked him horrified.

"I don't know. It just came out and I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me! Do you want me to go and talk to her?"

"No don't, it'll just make things worse." he sighed. "So what do I do now?"

"You fix your relationship with Clarissa and tell her you're sorry".

"Like she's going to forgive me. I never meant to hurt her but Riley I want to be with you. She thinks I still have feelings for you, and frankly she's not wrong."

Riley felt awful. She was responsible for all of this. She had just broken apart a relationship of two people who vowed to be together forever and it was all her fault. "Lucas I get that. But we just can't be together right now. I'm sorry."

Lucas closed his eyes and kept them closed for several second. _What had he done?_

"Well I'll wait. When you're ready, I'll be here Riley." With that, she walked out of her ex-boyfriend's hospital room and drove back to her house.

When Riley got there, she made herself a salad and poured herself a glass of lemonade, then took it into the living room. She just sat there, eating and thinking about what in the world had just happened. She didn't know how to fix things with Luke, but she didn't know if she wanted to. Lucas was now free and she could end things and then get back together with him. Something stopped her though. Something made her doubt if that was even a good idea. _He hurt me once. What's to stop him from doing it again?_ Riley remembered feeling the way she felt after figuring out Lucas cheated on her. She was furious, hurt, and scared. Riley never wanted to feel that way again and it made her feel like she wasn't good enough. If Lucas chose Missy over Riley then that meant that Riley wasn't good enough for him. Why would that have changed?

The feeling turned her stomach upside down and made her want to crawl under the covers of her bed and hide there forever. She hated feeling that way, and the person that made that go away was Luke. Luke picked Riley up when she fell. He made her feel special and loved. He made her want to get up in the morning so she could see him. Riley couldn't just abandon someone who helped her through one of the hardest times of her life. She didn't know if she loved Luke the way she loved Lucas, but she knew she loved him. Riley put her plate down and then walked over to the counter. She fished around for her purse and scrolled through her contacts looking for his number.

Once he answered, Riley was extremely relieved.

"Hello?", the person on the other line asked.

"Farkle!" Riley exclaimed. "It's so good to hear your voice again!"

"Riley! How are you?"

"I'm good...ish. How are you and Smackle? How's married life?" she asked her friend.

"She's good and it's good. I am really glad that we got married though, now she's stuck with me forever," Farkle responded chuckling to himself.

"I'm sorry for missing the wedding. I asked for the week off so I could fly down, but they couldn't find me a sub in time." Riley apologized.

"No no it's ok. I mean it would've been great having you there but I get it. And yeah how is teaching going?"

When Farkle and Smackle had finally chosen a date for their wedding, they invited Lucas, Zay, Vanessa, Josh, Maya and Riley. Farkle had silently hoped that Riley and Lucas would both show up so that their friends could convince them that they should get back together. Unfortunately, Riley couldn't fly down that week, so his plan backfired. The couple had their wedding in California since Farkle and Smackle both graduated from Stanford, and it was too far away for Riley to drive. Riley hadn't seen Farkle since and because they were both so busy, they hadn't talked in awhile.

"It's great actually. Really busy at times, but overall I love it. All the kids are so cute and I just love watching them grow." she responded with a passion in her voice

Farkle laughed at his best friend. He knew that Riley was always meant to be a teacher and it was also her dream job, besides being a bunny farmer. "So I would assume you need advice about something?"

"Yeah I do. You know Luke? My current boyfriend?"

"Mhm what about him? Is everything okay?"

"Well not exactly". Riley filled him in on everything and when she was done he was quiet for a couple seconds.

"Wow. Wait, so Lucas is back in New York?"

"Yup. And he's engaged. Well _was_ engaged. And he said he still have feelings for me."

"So what's the problem? Just break up with Luke and get back together with Lucas." he told her as if it was obvious.

"It's not that simple Farkle. I really care about Luke and I don't want to hurt him. Plus, our relationship is getting a lot more serious. I don't want to throw something like that away."

"Ok what's bothering you?" he urged.

"What? What do you mean? Nothing's bothering me." she insisted.  
"Riley I know you better than that. What's bothering you?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm just afraid that Lucas is going to hurt me again. And I don't ever want to feel that way again." Riley admitted.

Farkle frowned at himself. "That's not going to happen. Lucas learned his lesson last time. It took him a long time to start dating again because he couldn't get over you. And clearly he still isn't over you."

"What how do you even know that Farkle?"

"Riley, he still is my best friend. I can be friends with both of you even if you're not friends." he joked.

"How do you know Lucas isn't going to hurt me. I mean he did it once, why wouldn't he do it again?"

"Why are you so insecure about this? I already told you, he learned his lesson."

"I don't know. I'm just scared. Choosing between two people I care about is really really hard and I just, I don't want anyone getting hurt."

"Riley you've been really selfless you're whole life, so for once just do this for you. I hope that helps. And sorry, I gotta go make dinner. Smackle's friends are coming over tonight to talk to her about some TV show thing. Bye Riley."  
She giggled at her best friend, "Ok bye Farkle. Thanks for the advice, it really helped."

"Anytime. And if you ever need help or a friend to talk to, remember I'm always here for you."

She hung up the phone and began to think about her conversation. Everyone was telling her the same thing, and she wanted that. She really did. She cared about Luke, but maybe Maya was right. Maybe her and Lucas were still meant to be. If fate brought them back together even after what happened, then doesn't that mean they were meant to be?

Luke was pacing back and forth in his bedroom. He was so confused and had no idea what to do. He loved Riley, and he knew that although she had feelings for him, she loved Lucas more. He didn't want to end things with her but he knew that it was for the best. Luke had only ever wanted to make Riley happy, and if she wasn't going to be happy with him, then he needed to let her go. There were other girls out there for him, so even though he was going to break up with Riley, it wasn't going to be the end of the world.

Luke picked his phone up off of his bed and dialed Riley's number.

When she answered, he decided to just get it over with.

"Riley I think we should break up."

She was shocked by what her now ex-boyfriend had just said, but more relieved than anything. " _What?"_

"I think we should break up. I know you love Lucas, and at first it was hard for me to accept, but now I have."

" _Well um I don't know what to say."_

"Maybe try thank you?" he offered, slightly laughing to himself.

Riley giggled. Even though they had just broke up, she wanted Luke around because their friendship meant to much to her. " _Thank you Luke."_ she finally replied to him.

 **Author Replies:**

 _Guest -_ _Yikes! That cannot be good for their relationship, if Riley just walks out on Luke after he asks if she still has feelings for Lucas. And Lucas has already realized he needs to end things with his fiancée. Seems like they are headed toward a reconciliation, and I love it!_ : Yupppp… But Luke is an understanding guy, and he knows what's best for Riley ;) I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for leaving me a review!

 _Guest - Yes! This is what I like to see, both Riley and Lucas doubting their current relationships. Although I do feel bad for Luke and Lucas's fiancée(already forgot her name). They seem like nice people, but we all know Riley and Lucas are meant to be together in the end._ : Riley and Lucas do always find a way in the end so they're getting there! And haha it is Clarissa, but she won't be in this story as much continuing. Lastly, YESSS RUCAS WILL FIND A WAY! Thank you so much for taking the time to review, and I hope you enjoyed chapter 5.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey all! I'm back with another chapter. I'm so so so so so so so sorry for the long wait and for not uploading in a really long time. I have been really busy lately and felt like not many people were enjoying the story so I was having trouble coming up with ideas. I know that wasn't at all fair to those who keep up with this story so I am extremely sorry for that! I hope you can forgive me, and hopefully this chapter makes up for that.**

 **As always, please leave reviews for any ideas you may have, and thanks again for reading! Enjoy**

Riley quickly showered and got dressed anxious to go to sleep after her long day. She had to wake up at 5:45 the next morning, since she had school the next day. After the previous conversation with Luke on the phone, she had lots of grading to do for her students. In reality, 'grading' preschooler's homework wasn't exactly grading, more looking at their artwork and smiling at what they created. Riley loved her job so much, but as fun as it was, sometimes it was really tiring. The brunette was lost in her thoughts, and barely noticed when her eyes started to get heavier and eventually fell asleep.

She woke up the next morning to the sound of her blaring phone alarm. Riley pushed the covers over her letting out a long yawn. As soon as she was dressed, Riley hustled out the door, not before grabbing a banana and a granola bar from her kitchen.

Upon arriving in the parking lot, a smile grew on the brunette's face as she saw a few of her students at the school early. When she got out of her car, she was greeted by a hug from her two little students.

"Miss. Riley!" she heard two small voices yell from below her. Two sets of little arms were wrapped around Riley's legs in an attempt to give her a hug. She looked down and giggled.

"Good morning Katie! Good morning Lani!" she smiled back. Once she unlocked the doors, she walked into her classroom with her two students, Katie and Lani following behind her. The two girls rushed over to their assigned table and sat in their little chairs. After goodbye's and kisses from their parents, the two friends began coloring with crayons and colored construction paper. Riley just laughed and set down her bag at her desk.

Once more students had arrived, Riley started their first activity of the day. One thing led to the next and the rest of the day went by quicker than Riley realized. Before she knew it, her last student was leaving and she was beginning to pack up her things. She fished around in her purse, in search of her phone. She was contemplating on whether or not she should call Lucas and tell him about Luke, but instead she decided to give herself some more time to think.

After much more thought, she decided to call Maya on her way back to her apartment. The preschool was about 45 miles from Riley's apartment, she that gave her and Maya about an hour to talk. As soon as she was situated on the road, Riley dialed her best friend's number.

" _Hey Riles! How's it going?"_

"Haha, hi Peaches. I'm doing good. How's stuff with Josh. Have you guys started planning the wedding yet?"

" _Riley I think you know me better than that. Don't you remember? I'm the queen of procrastination!"_

Riley just laughed at her friend's response. "Yeah. Classic Maya", she smiled to herself.

" _Yeah whatever. Forget me, how's ol' huckleberry doing? Did you break up with Luke yet?"_

"Well um not exactly…" Riley wavered, and just decided to wait for Maya to respond before continuing her story.

" _Riles what do you mean 'not exactly'? Don't tell me you backed out of telling him."_

"Ok well no, we're not a couple anymore, but he was actually the one to break up with me. He said that he knows how I feel and he's not mad about it."

" _Awwww that's so sweet! But um are you sure Luke's not mad. I don't think anyone else would've played it off that easy" Maya said to her best friend, worried._

"Maya it's okay, really he's not mad. We talked about it."

" _Whatever you say…"_ there was a slight pause on the other line and Riley thought she had lost connection with her best friend. " _Sorry Riles I got to go help Josh set up for dinner",_ Riley heard after a few seconds.

"Okay thanks for the advice Peaches. Have fun tonight!"

" _Thanks, bye"._

Riley turned on the radio and started belting out Taylor Swift's older single _Shake it Off._ Listening to the song made Riley happy because she enjoyed the upbeat tune of the song. Around twenty minutes later of driving, she finally arrived at her apartment. After another long day of teaching, the brunette was starving so she picked up the phone and ordered herself a pizza from _Little Caeser's_ and changed into comfier clothes.

Once Riley had changed into grey sweats and an oversized purple t-shirt, she threw her hair up into a messy bun, not particularly caring how she looked. She sprawled herself out on the couch and turned on the TV in search of something to watch. After a decent amount of debating on what to watch, she settled on rewatching Season 2 of _The Flash._ Barely a minutes into the second episode, Riley heard her phone buzzing on the counter, but when she looked at the screen the contact took her by surprise. Regardless, she answered the phone anxious to hear what he had to say.

"Lucas?" she questioned.

" _Riley. Hey, what's up?"_ he answered casually.

"Not much, I just got home from work. How are you feeling, better?"

" _Oh yeah uh for sure. The doctor said I'm healing much quicker than expected, so I'll be out of here in a week at most"._

"Awesome! That's great to hear. So um how's Clarissa? Have you talked to her recently?"

Lucas paused for a moment, thinking of what he should say. He still felt awful about what had happened. " _No. I've called her about ten times and she hasn't picked up. All I got was a text from her dad and he wasn't happy. He said that Clarissa had packed up her things at their apartment and would be flying back to live with her parents in Virginia." he told her sadly._

"Lucas I'm really sorry. I know you never meant to hurt her."

" _Yeah while I deserved it. Riley I wouldn't have loved her. Not as much as I still love you."_

Riley was taken back by his comment. She didn't know what to do. As much as she wanted to be with Lucas, and now she could she still thought it didn't feel right. Being in Clarissa's situation was something she couldn't even imagine. Being with someone for so long and finally taking the next step, by agreeing to be together forever. Having that ripped away from you by someone you had just met would be heartbreaking to say the least. Riley knew heartbreak too well, but on some levels the heartbreak that Clarissa had experienced was so much worse than what Riley had. After all of this she realized she hadn't hung up the phone and Lucas was still on the other line. She still didn't know what to say to him. Luckily, she didn't have to since her doorbell wrang.

"I'm sorry Lucas I have to go."

" _Riley I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. If you're not ready to do anything I totally respect that."_

"It's ok. There's nothing to apologize for. But sorry, I have to go."

" _Ok bye."_

"Bye Lucas."

Riley hurriedly skipped over to her counter grabbing a twenty dollar bill before rushing over to the door. It flung open and on the other side was a guy, about the same age as Riley with sandy brown hair and warm brown eyes. He had super straight teeth and a friendly smile.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Riley said to him apologetically, still taking in his appearance.

He laughed lightly and smiled back at her "No worries." He too was caught off guard as he looked at Riley in her pajamas. The two forgot the real reason he was there and once they remembered, the pizza guy handed Riley the pizza which she almost dropped.

"Right! Thanks!" she said abruptly. Riley went to close the door when she forgot about the money. "OH sorry! Here, keep the change." she said to him handing her twenty dollar bill over.

He laughed again at her actions and took it graciously, "Cool, thanks…"

"Riley. Riley Matthews."

"Thanks Riley. I'm Trevor by the way." he said offering her a handshake.

She took it and responded, "No problem."

After a few more goofy grins from Riley and a few more awkward smiled from Trevor, the two said their goodbyes and Chase turned to leave. Riley shut her apartment door behind him and leaned against it. She stood there for a few moments recounting what had just happened. She laughed to herself and then took the pizza over to her kitchen and began eating.

 **T** • **W** • **O** **W** • **E** • **E** • **K** • **S** **L** • **A** • **T** • **E** • **R**

After a quick workout and then heading to the salon for a quick mani-pedi, Riley found herself sitting in her mom's cafe which was now run by someone completely different. The food was still the same, just under different management. After ordering a caramel espresso and a chocolate muffin, Riley found herself a booth and began to scroll through her phone looking at social media. She saw a post by 10 and it was a picture of him and his mom. The mother and son were standing in front of an ice cream shop while Luke was awkwardly looking at his mom. Riley laughed. Clearly, the picture was staged and Riley didn't know what to think. Her smile then turned into a frown, because she hadn't talked to Luke in a long time. In fact, the last time she had talked to him was when he told her to go after Lucas. She heard her name called so she put her phone down then walked up to the counter to grab her coffee and warm muffin.

Once she had basically inhaled half of her muffin, not realizing how hungry she was Riley locked eyes with someone who had just walked through the door. There he was, Lucas Friar, the last person Riley had expected to see today. He smiled at her and Riley awkwardly half-smiled back at him. Her heart began to race when she saw him walk toward her table. He invited himself down and sat across from her at the table, with his back facing the door.

Riley stood up to greet him and didn't know if she should hug him or not so instead just gave him an odd high-five.

"So I see you're feeling better now." she said to him, in hopes of ending the awkward silence between the two.

"Yup I sure am. I got discharged from the hospital a couple days ago."

"Wow that's great news Lucas. So what brings you by?"  
"Well it still is a public bakery, Riley." he said as to her jokingly. She blushed slightly, forgetting her mom no longer owned the bakery, although it was still named _Topanga's._ "Besides, my apartment is right down the street from here."

"Oh really? You never told me that."

"Well to be fair, I haven't really talked to you much lately," he said as if it were obvious.

Before they knew it, the two were engrossed in conversation quickly with an occasional laugh from Riley and a warm smile from Riley. It felt like old times to them.

Luke walked into _Topanga's_ in hoped of taking his mind off of his crazy life. Right when he walked in he saw Riley talking and laughing with none other than Lucas. The sight still pained him and although he told Riley to go after Lucas, it still hurt. Definitely more than he thought it would. Luke decided to just walk to the Starbucks since it wasn't far down the block, and it was on his way back to his apartment.

"You seriously almost drowned?" Riley asked Lucas astonished.

He laughed before responding, "Yeah I was only like five though. My cousin thought he could save me so he jumped in the pool, but he was only five too so then my uncles had to save us both."

Riley could barely contain her laughter, and she gave up on trying to.

Lucas smiled at the sight of his ex-girlfriend. He missed seeing her so care-free and happy. Her laugh, which he hadn't heard in awhile, made his insides melt. Riley Matthews could make him the happiest guy in the world, just being with her. Her presence seemed to brighten his mood and he wanted nothing more than to become her boyfriend again.

Riley looked down at her watch and saw the time. It was 10:01 PM and she had school the next day. Her and Lucas had been talking for hours.

"Sorry Lucas, I have to get going."

"Don't worry about it. And Riley, I had a really nice time talking to you today."

She smiled at him, "Yeah me too."

"Ok well you better get going. Bye Riley."

"Bye Lucas."

Riley walked out of the bakery and couldn't be happier. She was never more sure of anything in her entire life, but she knew she wanted to be with Lucas Friar.

 **Author Replies:**

 _Guest - I want Rucas but I think they gave up on their significant other to easily. Luke was a great bf to Riley and I wish we would have seen the struggle more._ : Thank you so much for your feedback, I really do appreciate it. I definitely understand where you're coming from, and I will definitely take this into consideration when I continue writing. If you have any suggestions on how to portray this, please let me know! I hope the chapter makes up for that in any way possible :) Thanks again for your review!

 _Guest - I really like this story_ : Thank you! That is so kind of you and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!

 _sophiee24 - LOL maybe Clarissa and Luke should date..._ : That isn't a bad idea now that I'm thinking about it HAHAHA. Thanks for your review! If anyone else has any suggestions, or maybe if you agree with this then please comment, I will greatly appreciate it!

 _Guest - Rucas all the way._ : ME AND YOU BOTH SISTA (OR BROTHA)! Thanks for your review haha I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you have any ideas at all for how you want Rucas to happen, I will definitely appreciate them :D

 _Guest - You should continue._ : Thank you! I took your advice (as you can see). I really am grateful that there are still people that care about this story, it means so much to me!

 **I hope you all enjoyed that chapter! By the way, 10 is not a real Instagram, as far as I know so yes, I made it up. Thank you so much for continuing to read this story. As always, I will really really appreciate any feedback you may have and all of the reviews are read and appreciated. I'm sorry again for not updating in awhile, I will try to get back to the regular schedule. Until the next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 6: Author's Note

**Hey guys! So um I'm really sorry but when I was rereading Chapter 6, I realized that I have a bunch of errors.**

For starters, in the paragraph of

 _After a few more goofy grins from Riley and a few more awkward smiled from Trevor, the two said their goodbyes and Chase turned to leave. Riley shut her apartment door behind him and leaned against it. She stood there for a few moments recounting what had just happened. She laughed to herself and then took the pizza over to her kitchen and began eating._

Chase is supposed to say Trevor. I was contemplating on which name to use, and ultimately decided on Trevor. Me, being the really forgetful person I am forgot to change Chase to Trevor so I'm really sorry if that was confusing.

Secondly, the paragraph of

 _Riley was taken back by his comment. She didn't know what to do. As much as she wanted to be with Lucas, and now she could she still thought it didn't feel right. Being in Clarissa's situation was something she couldn't even imagine. Being with someone for so long and finally taking the next step, by agreeing to be together forever. Having that ripped away from you by someone you had just met would be heartbreaking to say the least. Riley knew heartbreak too well, but on some levels the heartbreak that Clarissa had experienced was so much worse than what Riley had. After all of this she realized she hadn't hung up the phone and Lucas was still on the other line. She still didn't know what to say to him. Luckily, she didn't have to since her doorbell wrang._

Wrang is supposed to be rang, so sorry about that one as well.

 **If anyone notices anymore, please feel free to tell me so I can fix them. Thanks again!**


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